Imperial bayonets : tactics of the Napoleonic battery, battalion and brigade as found in contemporary regulations /

Imperial Bayonets examines the methods for infantry, cavalry and artillery fighting on a battery, battalion, regiment, brigade and army level during the Napoleonic period. The drill systems of the French, British, Russian, Prussian and Austrian armies, as laid down in the official regulations of the time, are fully explained. Having researched more than sixty contemporary drill regulations, and as many other documents of the period, the author is able to provide a full record of the tactics of manoeuvre in the Napoleonic era. Whereas the original sources are difficult to understand (including those written in English) and poorly illustrated, Imperial Bayonets is a model of clarity and contains more than ninety illustrations of manoeuvres. . The system of warfare between 1792 and 1815 was unique in many respects, and formed the basis for the evolution of warfare in the years to come. But owing to the lack of accurate technical data in print many people today are left with misconceptions about how the system worked. This invaluable book fills the gap in information and will be indispensable for historians, wargamers and those who want to know how the armies of the Napoleonic period manoeuvred. Imperial Bayonets examines the maneuvering systems of the French, Prussians, Russians, Austrians and British from 1792 to 1815. It studies infantry maneuvers and firepower, cavalry maneuvers, and artillery. It is THE definitive work on Napoleonic tactics and a must read for anyone wanting to understand the fundamentals of period tactics. It provides not only a discussion of every major maneuver of the five major powers, i.e. from line to square, or column, but does time and motion studies of how long it would take to execute those maneuvers and compares them to the other nations. It covers infantry and cavalry maneuvers on this level. It performs an analysis of both musketry effectiveness and artillery effectiveness, providing curves that demonstrate the effectiveness of both.It also covers brigade maneuvers and army marches.